I am getting my baby chicks ordered for delivery in Feb.

Well I managed to get my hubby to allow me to have chickens over the past year and I must say I think he likes them! I started out with 4 white chicken house hens(that was given to me), we then bought 4 hens that 3 turned out to be roosters...I then bought a pair of BBReds, 3 sexlink hens and he bought what he was told was 5 hens(they all turned out roosters & they went to freezer camp) so you can see I haven't had much luck building up a good flock. Hubby has agreed to my buying day old chicks from a hatchery...I am planning to buy 25 of the rainbow layers, which are all hens of different breeds. Any suggestions as to how best to start them out? Then how best and when to intergrate them with the flock? I am hoping to have better luck buying them this way. I do love chickens!!!

"freezer camp"... that's funny. I've got two in freezer camp right now. Anyway, your request is really kinda impossible to answer on the forum, since it covers a TON of information. You can look at some of the pages that are already written up about raising chicks, or I would suggest getting the book by Gail Damerow called "Storey's guide to Raising Chickens". Your local farm store also might have the Hobby Farms guide to chickens, which is good, just not as thorough as the other one. Your library probably has a book on chickens. There's just a lot of information involved in raising chicks.

Thanks for your suggestion! This is the 2nd time I have ordered new chicks, in fact it has been about 15 years ago when I was raisng alot of babies I just need to refresh my memory. At 1 time I had over 60 birds in the barnyard I used to have.

Mdove welcome to chick raising again.
I to have been away for a time. but now have Bantys black cochins and its like watching a cartoon when they are cackling around.LOL
like the freezer camp idea and we all go freezer shopping at one time or another.

M Dove, Here is what I did
I started my day olds on Dumor chick starter bought at tractor supply and water i made sure they found the feeder and water u may have to dip their beaks into the water, when one finds it they all followed. Lol and wood shavings on the floor of the brooder.
also kept a 60 watt lt blub over the brooder for the first 2 weeks. lowering the temp from 95 each day 5 degrees lower.
they featherd out and weather permitted they are fine.and didnt need the heat anymore.
I used a cardboard box as their brooder. which I tossed after use no mess.
but i did have it inside the coop.

Thanks Sissy!! I willl check for that at my feed store! For my broooder hows this idea...I have a long 3-4 ft wide back hallway in my house.... I thought that I could partician off about a 4ft section with cardbord and line my floor with cardboard & newspaper and use a small sheet of plastic & screen for a lid so I can see inside, we already have a light to add. My order will consist of 25 chicks, I figure this should be enough space until they move outside. I will just have to keep the floor clean this way. I do miss baby chicks they are so lively!

Mdove , great idea, they will be warmer in that hall. mine were drinking water I had to fill 3 times a day. I should have a larger water LOL
I would put the plastic on top of the floor it would save the wet from coming thru. then just load the news paper on top of the plastic.. you will find out what works best for you.. but shiny new paper its too slippery and they could get the spadled legs..

I use a piece of of netting I had to cover the top. that i could see what they were up too and Dh and i laughed our heads off..
when we saw what they were up too.We have 2 roos and they are real sweeties and not very noisey. also 6 hens and getting
getting more. would like to get a few buff orpingtons for the
larger eggs. and they are very friendly as the cochins.and good
mamas..